I grew up near a city
where every culture
met, mingled,
and learned from each other.
They called it a “melting pot.”
A Country divided?
I sense it is not.

My roots can be traced to
Scotland and England,
Italy and Switzerland,
Sweden and Germany
and yes, even Natives to America
With names like Wilson, Fields,
Carriciola, Leva, Heinle,
Niger, and Caramalova
A Country divided?
I feel it is not.

I remember the lady,
standing proud in the harbor of that melting pot,
lifting her lamp,
shouting her message to the world.
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
Send these, the homeless tempest-tost-to me..”
And haven't they come?
And all become Americans no matter their roots?
A Country divided?
I think it is not.

My father's great
grandfather came to escape injustice
My mother's father came to help design a canal
And didn't they all come...
willingly or not...
to build...
a chance to make a better life...
and put aside what they left behind...
for good or for bad...?
A Country divided?
I believe it is not.

On September 11th
when the twin towers fell, and
thousands were killed in the blink of an eye.
Did we momentarily grieve and forget?
No.
For, those thousands of silenced voices rose
like phoenixes through the burning ashes
and reverberated in the hearts of millions.
People, who, angered by terrorists,
become one,
as they have through every national adversity.
A Country of hope and of promise.
One nation;
one people steeled in its soul.
A Country divided?
I remember it is not.

The world is too small,
life too brief
to let differences divide.
We are all one species.
Let our similarities unite
and shine as a signal to others.
A Country divided?
I know it is not...

Sept 11
by George D Birse

And we’ll not forget until we die
How planes came hurtling from the sky
Twin towers fell

And broke the spell

of peace on Earth

Goodwill to men

September eleven

Land of the Free

Another Day of Infamy

For thousands died

Our Nation cried

For Peace on Earth

Goodwill to men

Then around the World our cry it rang

For vengeance in Afghanistan

Soon bombs fell down

And hid the sound

of peace on Earth

Goodwill to men

One year is gone

I still can’t grasp

God’s meaning in these things that passed

Still he has a plan

Love'll reign again

with peace on Earth

Goodwill to men

The Four Attacks

2801 victims in 83 countries

New York Policeman handing over
British Flag found in the
rubble of the Twin Towers to the UK Home Secretary.

At St Paul's Cathedral

At the US Embassy in London

British Prime Minister, Prince Charles and
Prince Harry at St Paul's Cathedral in London

The places where the planes came down

The Pipes and Drums in New York

President and Mrs Bush at the Pentagon
ceremony

The President at the unveiling of the Flag at the Pentagon

President Bush with families in Pennsylvania

St Paul's tribute to US victims

A minute's silence was held at St Paul's and
elsewhere

A service has been held at St Paul's Cathedral in London as the UK
joined the world in marking the anniversary of the 11 September terror
attacks in the US.

Two thousand people including many friends and relatives of the 67
British victims gathered at the cathedral for the sombre service of
remembrance.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prince Charles and Prince Harry were among
the congregation, while hundreds of people gathered outside to pay
tribute.

The Bishop of London Richard Chartres told the congregation the
cathedral held an "ocean of suffering", but mourners must "love - and go
on".

He said hope rested in the solidarity shown by those affected, which
he said "can turn compassion into energy capable of overcoming
indifference and downright evil".

At 1346 BST - the time when the first jet hit the World Trade Center
one year ago - a minute's silence was held in the cathedral and across
Britain.

More than 3,000 white rose petals - one for every victim - were
released from the cathedral's great dome as Sarabande from Bach's Cello
Suite Number Five broke the silence.

The London Stock Exchange and most of the City also observed the
silence in a tribute to their American counterparts.

So did staff at the US Air Force bases at Lakenheath and Mildenhall,
both in Suffolk.

Staff and passengers at Heathrow airport fell silent, while many
shops and offices stopped work, and fire brigades parked their engines
in front of stations.

Union flag

Earlier, a service was held at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square in
London.

Among the guests was US Ambassador William Farish, who referred to
Britain as "America's truest friends" who had stood "firmly by our side"
in the aftermath of the attacks.

Also speaking was Lieutenant Frank Dwyer of the New York Police
Department.

Princes Charles and Harry were among the
congregation

He had with him a Union Flag which had been found in the rubble of
the World Trade Center, and which he presented to Home Secretary David
Blunkett.

The flag, which Lt Dwyer described as a "symbol of endurance and the
strength of the British people", was later taken to St Paul's, where Lt
Dwyer lit a candle of remembrance.

Both Britain and America are on heightened security alert amid fears
extremists may attempt to emulate the attack.

Scotland Yard anti-terror chiefs have warned lone terrorists could
seize upon the opportunity of a "world stage" offered by the memorial
day.

Armed roadblocks have been set up around London and a no-fly zone
will be in force at key times across the capital.

Scotland mourns 9/11 atrocity

BBC's Reporting Scotland TV Program pays tribute to 9/11

A plaque was unveiled to mark the anniversary

Scotland is paying its respects on the first anniversary of the
September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

Communities are gathering in churches, mosques and synagogues
across the country to commemorate the atrocities of a year ago.

A 45-minute service of remembrance was held at St Giles's Cathedral
in Edinburgh, led by the Rt Rev Dr Finlay Macdonald, Moderator of the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

First Minister Jack McConnell gave a reading and a passage from the
Koran was delivered by Glasgow councillor Bashir Maan.

When everyone else is running out, firefighters are running in.
So it was on September 11, 2001

Colin Cranston
Lothian and Borders firemaster

The Rt Rev Macdonald reminded those present of the "unimagineable
evil" that had befallen the victims and praised rescue workers.

Representatives of the Scottish Catholic and Episcopal churches
also participated in the service alongside Jewish community leaders
and a representative of the US Consulate General.

A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the headquarters of the
Lothian and Borders fire brigade to mark the first anniversary of the
attacks.

'Natural instinct'

Mr McConnell said it was "fitting and proper" to recognise the
sacrifice of those who died exactly one year ago.

"We should hold true to the spirit of those firefighters, a spirit
that saw them go forward when every natural instinct for many of us
would have been to run away," he added.

Lothian and Borders firemaster Colin Cranston said: "There is a
very old, hackneyed saying in the fire service, that when everyone
else is running out, firefighters are running in. So it was on
September 11, 2001."

A remembrance service was held in Edinburgh

The Scottish Parliament marked the anniversary with an afternoon
debate on Scotland's links with the US.

There was no formal period of silence in parliament, whose sitting
did not begin until 1430 BST on Wednesday.

But MSPs and staff were given the opportunity of observing a
minute's silence at 1346 BST.

Edinburgh and Glasgow City Councils are flying flags at half-mast
at the City Chambers. In Dundee, a minute's silence was observed in
City Square.

Building bridges

Aberdeen City Council is flying the Stars and Stripes from the Town
House and the city's Lord Provost Margaret Smith has sent a message of
support to the people of New York.

Leaders of the main faiths will meet on Thursday to discuss ways of
building bridges in the wake of last year's terrorist attacks and
their aftermath.

Sister Isabel Smyth of the Scottish Inter-Faith Council, said:
"This historic meeting will show that we in Scotland can actually do
something about it and work together in that search for peace and
understanding."

A personal tribute

The Earl and Countess of Wessex were in Scotland to open a causeway
connecting the remote island of Eriskay to the rest of the Western
Isles.

The ceremony included a prayer and a minute's silence as a mark of
respect for those who died in the attacks.

The Scottish Coalition for Justice Not War said it would be staging
a rally in Glasgow's George Square at 1800 BST on Wednesday "to
remember the innocent victims of all conflict".

Three people from Scotland died in the terrorist attacks on New
York.

47-year-old Gavin Cushny, from the Isle of Lewis, was working as
a computer consultant with Cantor-Fitzgerlad on the 104th floor of
the north tower

29-year-old Derek Sword, a squash champion originally from
Monifieth, Tayside, worked as an investment banker at Keefe Bruyette
Woods on the 89th floor of the south tower

Colin McArthur, 52, from Scotland, was vice-president of
insurance company Aon Inc.

Scots observing a minutes silence in St George's Square, Glasgow

First Minister, US Consul General and other political leaders
attending the service in St Giles Cathedral

US Consul-General for Scotland Liane Dorsey
She earlier had unveiled a plaque to US Fire Fighters at a Fire
Station in Glasgow

Scottish Parliament pays it's tribute

Queen consoles New York's
Britons

Mourners remembered the 67 dead Britons

New York's grieving British community has been sent a message of
consolation by the Queen to mark the anniversary of the 11 September
terror attacks.

She paid tribute to the "very special" people who were lost, and said
"right must and will prevail" in the fight against terrorism.

The message was read out by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at a special
service in St Thomas Church in the heart of Manhattan on the eve of the
anniversary.

The evensong was held in memory of the 67 British killed a year ago
and was attended by families of 34 victims, many in tears as they heard
the Queen's condolences.

They were killed for being ordinary, free people -
Americans, British and others working here in New York

Rev Andrew C Mead
St Thomas Church

Among the mourners was Susan Rescorla, whose British-born husband
Rick died evacuating people from the burning World Trade Centre.

She simply said: "I am sick to the stomach".

The Queen began by referring to the "terrible events" of last 11
September and goes on: "Every person who was lost that day was someone
very special: a son, a daughter, a father, mother, husband, wife, loved
one or valued friend.

"We remember them today for all they mean to us and for the void they
leave in our lives."

'New York spirit'

The Queen also honoured the "courage and determination" of the armed
forces and "others who are striving to bring those responsible for this
outrage to justice and to prevent similar atrocities in the future".

The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, blessed a crucifixion
memorial which was inscribed with the Queen's words spoken soon after
the attack: "Grief is the price we paid for love."

And in a prayer, Dr Carey called on God to "defeat the powers of
darkness that disfigure and distort our world".

Charity and courage

A group of 42 British policemen and women kept an honorary guard at
the service.

They entered the church carrying a British and an American flag after
marching down Fifth Avenue with 300 of their colleagues.

The Queen added: "The dreadful attacks of September 11 may have
threatened freedom, innocence and other values we hold dear, but they
also inspired grace, charity and courage."

And she paid tribute to the rescue workers and the "extraordinary
spirit and resilience" of New Yorkers.

Mourners comforted each other

Personally thanking the city for its support of grieving Britons, she
added: "You have again given practical expression to the true, deep and
lasting friendship between our two countries.

"My thoughts and prayers are with you all."

The rector of St Thomas Church, the Reverend Andrew C Mead, told the
congregation: "They were killed for being ordinary, free people -
Americans, British and others working here in New York, decently using
and enjoying their freedom."

Michael Oliver, the Lord Mayor of London, read a lesson at the
service.

British mourners were also invited to a special ceremony at Ground
Zero on Wednesday morning.

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